A ferocious free-for-all among the top web browsers

The landscape is evolving and you can either change with it or be left behind. This is the position browser makers find themselves in as cloud computing and touch interfaces take center stage, as Windows 8 with its vastly overhauled UI continues to wiggle into more homes and businesses around the world, and as web developers push increasing amounts of rich content at site visitors.

Note: This article was originally featured in the December 2013 issue of the magazine.

The basics of building an open-air test bench

The Mission While we typically follow a standard formula for Build It every month, sometimes it's nice to deviate a bit from the norm and explore different types of systems that are a bit more unconventional. One such system is the type of build we use at Maximum PC HQ for testing hardware, known as the open-air test bench. We have several of them deployed throughout the office alongside our standard-issue desktop PCs, and both types of machines serve an important purpose. The standard desktops are great for YouTube and Reddit, and occasional “work,” while the open-air test benches are used for most of our component testing since they let us swap a video card, CPU, SSD, RAM stick, or even the entire motherboard with minimal effort. When you’re using an open test bench setup on top of a desk, you’ll never again have to dig through the guts of your computer while on your hands and knees, with a flashlight clenched in your teeth. All you need to set up one for yourself is a basic set of spare parts, and it will let you operate like a civilized gentleperson, from the comfort of a chair, without breaking a sweat.

Note: This article was originally featured in the November 2013 issue of the magazine.

15 online cloud storage services compared

The convenience of cloud storage is undeniable: your data and media at your fingertips from any Internet-connected device—what’s not to like? And there’s certainly no shortage of options to choose from, most of which are totally free up to a certain capacity. The trick is deciding which cloud service to use. After all, there are notable differences between them. Some are ideal for security mavens who want to preserve their anonymity (and the anonymity of their data). Others are better for folks just looking for a massive dumping ground for a ton of data. And still others are geared toward those keen on sharing all sorts of files with their friends and colleagues. In this roundup, we’ll break it all down for you and identify the strongest cloud storage services. We’ll also show you how to encrypt files that you store online and how to combine multiple cloud-storage accounts into one unified pot.

Note: This article was originally featured in our November 2013 issue of the magazine.

Four portable gaming notebooks square off

Back in the day, to get any real power in a notebook, you needed to have a massive chassis to house all the most beefy mobile components. But today, with Intel’s smaller, more power-efficient Haswell processor and shrinking mobile video cards, this is no longer the case. The advent of these new parts means it's now possible to get serious performance without sacrificing portability, hence the growing number of capable gaming notebooks measuring 15 inches or less. The trouble is, with so many portable gaming options, which one do you choose?

Note: This article was taken from the December 2013 issue of the magazine.

Every PC user should know how to program, and there’s never been a better time to learn

With the huge variety of computing devices all around us, it’s important to remember what it is that’s special about a full-fledged personal computer. We think the main difference can be summed up in one word: mastery. No matter how much time you spend with an iPad or an Android phone or in a web browser, you can never truly master it. There’s just not enough there to learn. But the PC? That’s different. The PC goes deep.

Note: This article was originally featured in the October 2013 issue of the magazine

Windows 8 vs. Windows 8.1

You are your own worst enemy, indeed. In this month’s matchup, we pit Windows 8.1 against its predecessor, Windows 8, in not so much an outright battle, but a comparison of some of the more notable tweaks that Microsoft has slapped into its first refresh of the controversial operating system. Just make sure you tell your system to stop hitting itself, OK?

Note: This article originally appeared in the Holiday 2013 issue of the magazine.

Budget, baseline, and performance PC builds!

What time is it? It's time to Build a PC with our Blueprints! This month, we've built three rigs at three approximate price points: Budget, Baseline, Performance. "Budget" is an entry-level rig with pep, Baseline gets you a powerful system for gaming and content creation at 1080p, and Performance beefs everything up across the board.

20 games that will make or break 2014

Is there anything better than cranking up the settings and sitting down to play an amazing PC game? 2013 was a great year for PC gamers, but 2014 looks to be even better. Games like Watch Dogs, The Division, and The Witcher 3 are looking amazing so far. With that said, we've compiled a list of 20 games you should get excited about.

Four fast USB keys meet in a benchmark brawl

A USB key, aka thumb drive, is a must-have item for any hardware-fixing performance junkie, and now that USB 3.0 versions have arrived we all want the fastest one we can get our sweaty digits on. To find out which key holds the combination to our hearts, we put four models with top-tier specs through their paces. Since most of them don't come with any extras, they will be judged primarily on straight-line speed and overall usability. May the best key end up on your keychain!

Note: This article was taken from the December 2013 issue of the magazine.

Could Mantle be the next successor to DirectX?

Oxide Games developer Dan Baker helped answer some questions we had about AMD’s new API. Oxide’s upcoming game, Star Swarm, will support Mantle out of the gate and the company has been very vocal about Mantle which it believes can help all gamers and also start a dialogue about the future of APIs on the PC.